Coal cutting machine with cutting rollers equipped with tiltable arms



July 22, 1969 w, L M NN 3,456,984-

COAL CUTTING MACHINE wLTII CUTTING ROLLERS EQUIPPED WITH 'IIL'PABLE ARMSFiled Jan. 2, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG-I 8 INVENTOR.

X04 erz vawa Julyzz, 1959 w. LANFERMANN 3,

COAL CUTTING MACHINE WITH CUTTING ROLLERS EQUIPPED WITH TILTABLE ARMS-Filed Jan. 2, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l N V15 N TOR. ,(ay/Arwor;

United States Patent Oifice 3,456,984 Patented July 22, 1969 Int. Cl.E211/02, 13/01 us. Cl. 299-53 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Amining machine, particularly adapted for cutting coal, in which a frameis provided having one or more arms pivoted thereto for movement in avertical plane and with a rotatable cutting roller on the outer free endof each arm and with drive means extending from the frame through thearm to the respective rotary cutter, each arm having its frame end endsecured to a shaft which is tiltable in the frame and a fluid motor orthe like for tilting each arm in the frame between predetermined limits.The invention is particularly concerned with the connection of each armto its respective shaft, the connection being such that the arm can beadjusted on the shaft about the axis of the shaft thereby to modify therange of vertical movement of the respective arm for the fixed range ofmovement of its supporting shaft whereby the machine can readily beadapted to coal layers and the like of different height and differentdisposition relative to the machine and without exchanging the rotarycutters and without adjusting the position of the machine in thevertical direction.

This invention relates to coal cutting machines of the type illustratedin the United States Lanfermann Patent No. 3,219,389 and the disclosureof that patent, insofar as it pertains to the present invention, isincorporated herein by reference.

In the coal cutting machine illustrated in the patent, cutting rollersare mounted on arms that are swingable in a vertical plane so as to cuta substantial height of a vein of ore, or coal, or the like, to bemined.

In the patent referred to, cutting rollers are mounted on the outer endof arms and the arms are supported at their inner ends on the frame ofthe machine with a train of drive gears for the cutting roller beinglocated in the arm. The arms are pivoted about their connection with theframe of the machine and in this manner the elevation of the rollers isadjusted.

In the usual machine, the tilting range of the rollers is such that therollers engage the bottom of the vein at about a level of 350millimeters below the bottom level of the machine, while when tiltedupwardly, as high as possible, the rollers can cut the roof of an orevein or coal layer which is about 2.5 meters high. The foregoingdimensions are based on a conventional diameter of cutting rollers ofabout 1300 millimeters.

The tilting range of the cutting rollers is not symmetrical about ahorizontal plane extending through the tilting axis of the pertainingarm but extends more toward the roof than toward the bottom. Coal layerswhich are thicker than 2.5 meters cannot be cut through their entireheight of cutting rollers of the nature referred to and can only becompletely mined if the cutting rollers of the machine are exchanged forcutting rollers of a larger diameter or if the machine body is elevatedto a greater height.

A particular object of the present invention is the provision of aconstruction for the cutter roller supporting arms which will make itpossible with one and the same machine slide or carriage and with thesame cutting rollers, to cut out deposits or layers which are thickerthan 2.5 meters, while at the same time providing a coal cutting machinein which the cutting rollers can be brought to a lower level thanheretofore.

The invention further purposes the construction of a coal cuttingmachine, as described above, in which adjustment of the arms is possibleto vary the range through which the arms sweep whereby with one and thesame level of the coal cutting machine or carriage layers of variousheights or deposition can be readily cut and with the adjustment capableof being accomplished quickly and in a simple manner. I

The nature of the present invention will be more clearly understood uponreference to the following specification taken'in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view of a coal cutting machine of the typeadapted to employ the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through an adjustable armof the machine and is indicated by line IIII on FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a schematic view showing more in detail the range ofadjustability of the roller carrying arms according to the presentinvention; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view showing more in detail the adjustablefeature of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings somewhat more in detail and in particular toFIGURE 1 and 2, the coal cutting machine, generally indicated at 1,rests on a slide 2 having skids 4 which, in turn, rest on a long wallconveyor 3. Skids 4 are adjustable as by cylinders 5 for tilting themachine in a known manner.

In about the center of the machine there is a frame part 6 which carriesa pair of supporting arms, only one of which is shown at 7, and each ofwhich arms is tiltable about the axis of a respective shaft member 24 towhich the arm is attached and which shaft member is rotatably supportedin portion 6 of the machine as on bearings 43.

Each shaft 24 has a respective arm 44 fixed thereto and pivotallyconnected between the outer end of each arm 44 and a point 46 on theadjacent slide 2 of th machine is a fluid motor 15. Fluid motor 15 isadapted for reversible energization thereby to tilt the shaft 24connected thereto whereby the arm 7 connected to the said shaft will bemoved in a vertical plane.

Within the portion 6 of the machine is drive motor means which drives ashaft 28 in rotation. Shaft 28 carries a spur gear 29 on the axis ofrotation of shaft 24 and a train of gears 31, 32, 33 and 34 within arm 7drivingly connect gear 29 with rotary cutter 8 which is rotatablymounted on the outer end of the said arm. It will be evident that thearm 7 is freely tiltable about the axis of shaft 24 without in any wayinterfering with the driving connection existing between the motordriven shaft 28 and the coal cutter 8.

As will be seen in FIGURES 1 to 4, each shaft 24 has a fan-like flangedend 17 adjacent the pertaining arm 7. The arm, in turn, has a flange 16thereon which fits against flange 17 in face to face relation. Flange 17is provided with a plurality of holes 11 for receiving clamping boltsand power transmitting pins. The flange 16 of the pertaining arm isprovided with holes 19 through which the clamping bolts and powertransmitting bolts pass.

As will be seen in FIGURE 4, the flanges 16 and 17 are provided withsets of the aforementioned holes such that the arm 7 can be clamped toits respective shafts 24 in a median position indicated by line 20 andis, furthermore, provided with other groups of the said holes such thatthe arm can be adjusted relative to the shaft so that the axis of thearm is located either on the line marked 21 or the line marked 21.

Reference to FIGURE 3 will show that the adjustment of the arm 7, asdescribed above, will substantially adjust the range of movement of thecutting roller mounted thereon so that the total range in the verticaldirection the machine can cut is substantially increased. At the sametime because of the arrangement of clamping bolts and power transmittingbolts the assembly is fully as strong as it could possibly be if onlyone adjusted position of the arm on its tiltable shaft was provided ashas been the practice heretofore.

Flange 17 of shaft 24 is provided with further holes 23 and these holesare adapted for receiving bolts 25 carried by flange 16 of the arm foradditionally clamping the arm in place on its tiltable shaft.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mining machine particularly adapted for cutting coal; a frame, ashaft tiltable in said frame, an arm having a rotary cutter on one end,connecting means connecting the other end of the arm to the said shaft,power means connected between said frame and shaft for tilting the shaftin the frame and thereby tilt said arm and adjust the position of thecutter relative to the frame, drive means extending from the framethrough said shaft and arm to said cutter to drive the cutter inrotation in any tilted position of said arm, said connecting meanscomprising means to adjust the position of the arm on the shaft therebyto adjust the tilting range of the arm.

2. A mining machine according to claim 1 in which said shaft is tiltableon a horizontal axis and said arm is tiltable in a vertical plane.

3. A mining machine according to claim 2 in which said shaft has aflange adjacent said arm, and said arm has means adapted for connectionto said flange in ad justed position of said arm about the axis of saidshaft.

4. A mining machine according to claim 2 in which said shaft has a firstflange thereon adjacent said arm and said arm has a second flangethereon parallel to and adjacent said first flange, and securing andpower transmitting means fixing said first flanges and second flangestogether in different rotated positions thereof.

5. A mining machine according to claim 4 in which said securing andpower transmitting means comprises bolt-like elements extending axiallythrough said flanges.

6. A mining machine according to claim '5 in which said flanges includea group of holes for receiving said bolt-like elements and at least oneof said flanges has circumferentially spaced groups of holes with eachthereof adapted for registration with the group of holes in the other ofsaid flanges to permit interconnection of the said flanges in fixedpower transmitting relation in different adjusted positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 521,263 6/1894 Greenwood 299543,219,389 11/1965 Lanfermann 299-53 ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R. 299-81

